Description
Instructions
The Employment Status Report, your Midterm Paper, introduced in Module 1, is now due. Remember, the Employment Status Report requires you to use at least three diverse resources for information related to your industry and goals. Many of the assignments in the previous modules were designed to coincide with this Midterm Paper.
Resources must include an interview conducted with a professional from your field and use of industry journals or publications. Sources must be cited according to the MLA method of internal and end citation.
For your convenience, the following repeats instructions outlined in Module 1:
Content
Address the following topics, using the following sets of questions to guide you in narrating your professional story. Use your process and research to develop a thesis assessing your current position and preparation within your industry, as well as next steps toward achieving your dream, or another argument you wish to make about yourself and your field.
Do not repeat the provided questions as part of your writing, give one-sentence answers (such as, “My competition is other photographers.”), or answer with simple yes or no. Don’t tell us what you already know: Discuss and analyze your ability to compete or outline your thoughts on competition. In other words, dig beneath the surface. Research and make information meaningful. Present your thorough responses in well-developed paragraphs.
Goals and Philosophy: What are your short- and long-term professional goals? What is your artistic philosophy? Describe what satisfies you about your creative process. How does your process reflect your artistic philosophy and professional goals? Describe a problem you’ve faced in your work, and explain how you solved it.
Marketplace: Who hires for the position you seek? Who is your competition? What is the average salary of the position? (For those who are fine artists or who intend to go into business for yourselves, what is the competitive price range for your work/service? What methods are used to calculate price?) How will you promote yourself to beat the competition?
Skills and Tools: What specific skills must you have to fulfill your professional goals? What skills do you have now? What skills must you attain? How have your skills been rated thus far? What are the tools of your trade? Which tools have you mastered? How is technology changing the way your industry operates? What is required of a professional portfolio/demo reel/resume in your industry?
Networking: What journals and affiliations are prominent in your field? What is required to join the most prominent organizations associated with your industry? What are the benefits of membership? Are there annual conferences or conventions intended for networking and professional development within your field? What role do social and professional networking sites play in making connections in your industry?
The Future: Where would you like to work? Research and describe a specific employer in your industry as well as the workplace environment. Why do you want to work there? If your goal is to be self-employed, what existing business or artist might you model and why? What will make your work marketable to your chosen audience?
GUIDELINES FOR REPORTS
HEADINGS: You may use the topic titles provided as headings or create your own. (Business reports often use subheadings between topics. Headings may be creative to “hook” readers or simply informative, making longer reports easier to read.)
RESOURCES: You must use at least three resources, of various kinds (books, magazines, journals, websites, etc.). One of these must be a personal interview.
- If you planned ahead, you will have interviewed someone in person, over the phone, or through email.
- Wikipedia is not a reliable, independent resource. The information the site provides can be a good starting point, but Wikipedia should not be one of your three required resources.
- Other resources include magazines, trade journals, reliable industry websites, books, etc.
- MLA Citation: Do not simply put a list of resources at the end of the report. Use internal citation; quote or provide information from the sources within the paper and also include the list of works cited at the end of the paper.
FORMAT: Employment Reports, like most narrative business writing, should:
- be typed
- have single spacing within paragraphs
- include double spacing between paragraphs, without indenting the first line
- use bulleting or other formatting options when listing
- include creative headings or subtitles between topics: You may use the topic titles provided with the assignment questions as headings (Goals and Philosophy, Marketplace, Skills and Tools, Networking, The Future) or create your own headings
- use internal citations per MLA guidelines as well as a list of works cited at the end
